Denholm's Dead!
by SapphireGemStone
Summary: He's always the last to know, Jen breaks the news to Richmond.


"Oh where are they?"

Jen had stayed at the wake just long enough for it not seem rude, before rushing off in a flurry of nicotine-induced craving and soon found herself back in the IT department searching fanatically through the draws of her desk for a packet of cigarettes that she'd guiltily hidden some time ago.

Suddenly there came a familiar melancholy voice from the door-way.

"Jen?"

She quickly turned and screamed in surprise.

"Oh Richmond it's you, sorry you startled me" she said sighing with relief.

"I seem to have a habit of doing that, how come you're back here? I thought everyone was at the funeral?

"I am... I mean I was! But I…II I had to fetch some very important…err...documents yes that's right, they need checking over by tomorrow and I forgot… so I'm just trying to find them so I can do it at home tonight" she said feeling quite pleased with her excuse.

"Oh I see, how did it go? I tried calling Roy earlier but I only got his voicemail."

"That was you? Oh dear..." just remembering Roy's embarrassing outburst in the church earlier on.

"Yes, it was certainly one of the most eventful send offs I've ever been to" Jen still reeling from the rest of the day's mishaps.

"Who was it for by the way?" I never thought to ask."

It was in that moment that Jen realised that no one had told him, she suddenly felt great sympathy for the Goth still locked away behind his read door, always the last to know everything. It was easy to forget that he once had such a high profile in the company, second in command in fact. And if things had been different, if Douglas had never come back then Richmond would've been the new boss. If he hadn't been demoted of course but that was beside the point. Right now Jen had to find a way of telling her rather unstable friend that someone he was close to was dead, without tipping him over the edge.

"Oh Richmond, come sit down" she said at last and he did so, quite puzzled.

"It was Denholm's funeral; he jumped out of a high storey window, I'm sorry." She said sympathetically anxious as to how he would react.

At first he didn't say anything apart from "oh" and being that his nature was typically solemn anyway Jen couldn't quite make out any change in his emotions, he even looked like that when he was 'cheery' how could she?

"Are you ok?"

"I suppose so, I'm a Goth, death's not exactly a foreign concept."

"I thought that, but you had a good relationship at one point, you were his right hand man after all."

"That's true, I'm not surprised actually, he had a lot going on behind closed doors that even I wasn't allowed to know about, it felt like he didn't trust me sometimes but maybe that was just me. Apart from that we made a really good team, sometimes almost too good…" He began to trail off into one of his long dramatic gazes but Jen managed to snap him out of it before things got awkward.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get him to take you back on while he had the chance."

"I'm glad you tried, it meant a lot that he was willing to talk to me again, if only for a moment before changing his mind. Thanks." Jen smiled her hands placed on Richmond's shoulders.

"I should have let you go to the funeral." She said.

"No you were right not to, it was probably for the best in my experience."

"Well yes the black is very fitting but I'm not so sure walking round looking like the grim reaper was a good idea no." she agreed as they shared a half smile at the reference.

"So who's in charge now then?" asked Richmond.

"Oh I should probably mention his son Douglas is back, he's been left everything." She said reluctantly.

"That womanizing sex offender? Not entirely sure he's fit to run a company."

"Yes I've already had the 'pleasure' of meeting him and I completely agree with you, but on the other hand, he saved all our jobs."

"Oh, well be careful anyway." advised Richmond .

"I think I can handle myself, but thank you Richmond." She said gratefully.

"Hey now, you're sure you're gonna be alright?"

"I think so, thanks for telling me."

Jen gave him a reassuring hug before watching the dark figure walk back to his room. She often worried about the lonely Gothic member of her team, although he didn't seem to need her nearly as much as the other two it was still nice that she could be there for him when he did. They all needed her in some way, to look after them if nothing else.

Now, where were those cigarettes, she could certainly do with one after a day like that.


End file.
